Old School With Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

Prepare oven and dry ingredients

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl whisk together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt until homogenous.

Cut in butter

Add 3/4 cup cold cubed unsalted butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining (about 6–8 pulses if using a food processor). Work quickly so butter stays cold.

Add buttermilk and form dough

Make a well in the center and pour in 1 cup cold buttermilk. Stir gently with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula just until combined and a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix; some dry streaks are okay.

Turn out and fold

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat to a roughly 3/4-inch thick rectangle. Fold the dough onto itself 2 times (fold in thirds like a letter) to create flaky layers, then gently press back to 3/4-inch thickness. Handle the dough minimally to keep biscuits tender.

Cut biscuits and bake

Use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter (or a floured round cutter) to cut 8–10 biscuits, pressing straight down without twisting. Re-roll scraps once to get remaining biscuits. Place biscuits on the prepared sheet about 1/2 inch apart for soft sides or 1 inch apart for crisper sides. Brush tops with 2 tablespoons extra buttermilk. Bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove and place on a wire rack to rest while you make the gravy.

Brown the sausage

While biscuits bake, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 lb mild breakfast sausage and cook, breaking into small pieces, until well browned and most fat rendered, about 7–9 minutes. If the sausage is very fatty, spoon off and reserve excess fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan for flavor.

Sauté onion

Add 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion to the pan and cook 3–4 minutes until softened and translucent, scraping up browned bits.

Make the roux

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour evenly over the sausage and onion. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste and form a light roux; it will bubble and soak up fat.

Add milk and cream

Gradually whisk in 2 cups whole milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream, pouring a little at a time and whisking to combine and smooth any lumps. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.

Simmer and season

Simmer, stirring frequently, until the gravy thickens to a spoon-coating consistency, about 6–8 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 3/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste), and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning; add more pepper for a more pronounced 'Old School' bite. If gravy becomes too thick, thin with up to 1/4 cup additional milk.

Keep warm

Reduce heat to low and keep the gravy warm, stirring occasionally, until biscuits are ready. If refrigerating leftovers, cool to room temperature before storing.

Split warm biscuits horizontally. If desired, spread a little unsalted butter (about 1/2 tablespoon per biscuit) on each bottom half. Spoon a generous ladle (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup) of sausage gravy over the biscuit bottoms, then top with the other biscuit half or serve open-faced.

Garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or parsley and a few grinds of black pepper. Serve immediately with hot sauce on the side if desired.